I am creating the first Nuclear Competition (that I know of). I am doing this because I love nuclear play. From having played many standard nuclear games with a large number of participants, I have the perception that very few people have a good conceptual grasp of just how radically different the strategy for nuclear spoils is in this situation from all the other types of games played here at CC, or how to succeed in a standard nuclear spoils game that has 8 players. I have gained this perception from time after time seeing highly ranked players making an experiment of joining a nuclear game only to see them becoming one of the first players excreted from the fun. Caveat/warning: if you are nursing (and really care about) your high ranking, keep playing one-on-one Age of Realms games; you will probably lose that high ranking long before you figure out good nuclear strategy if you join too many of these games. By running these competitions periodically (maybe four times per year) my goal is to promote some friendly competition in nuclear games and increase the awareness of just how fun this variant of the game can be.

This Winter 2013 Competition will consist of 10 games played on 20 different maps for a total of 200 games available. It will run from today, February 8, 2013, until the 200th game finishes, probably some time in April 2013. All 200 games will be started by me. I will be playing in most of the earliest games just to get the competition established; however, I will not be playing in every competition game. To be fair to all competitors, I am limiting my participation by pledging not to participate in the most number of competition games. I may tie with the participant who has played in the most, but I will not end this competition with a larger participation total than everyone else.

This competition is similar to a tournament as the word is commonly understood, but is not an elimination type tournament, a round robin, or even a Swiss System type of tournament. In that respect, this competition is running on conceptually very different lines than tournaments currently being run here on Conquer Club. To avoid confusion then, I am going to be careful to call this event a Competition. One big difference is that I will not be sending invites to anyone, or announcing or otherwise informing anyone individually when new games are going to be available for the competition. To participate in the competition, you simply enter yourself in by joining competition games. (See below for more details on how to identify competition games.) Some participants may not even know they are participating in the competition, especially at first. They may have just joined an open game! It's not a problem; they're still in. Competitions are very inclusive that way!

WINTER 2013 COMPETITION CRITERIANumber of players: 8Initial troops: automaticPlay order: freestyleSpoils: nuclear (of course!)Reinforcements: chainedSpecial Gameplay: there will be fog of war and this will be trench warfare for this competitionRound Limit: noneRound length: 24 hours

To see which 20 maps the competition will be contested on, scroll down.

(For future competitions, I am open to varying maps played on as well as the settings for Initial troops, play order, reinforcements, special gameplay, and round limit. You can let me know of a different preference by private mail if you like. If I get a large enough number of requests from different people, or you alone make a really good argument for a different map or setting, I'll try out the new suggestion next competition.)

If you are interested, there are two ways you can find out when new competition games become available:1) You can click on my name and see what competitions I am in that meet the competition criteria, and then join, or2) I will post new competition game numbers to the bottom of the running score as soon as I create the new games. I will create new games at randomly selected times two or three times per week.

Scoring will be as follows: Gold medal - The game winner. Worth 3 points.Silver medal - The last person the game winner beat. Worth 2 points.Bronze medal - The next to last person that was in the game. Worth a point.

Points will be tabulated and tracked by me here at this forum. Please do not make rude comments to opponents in game chat. These can get you banned from future competition games participation. The goal is FRIENDLY competition. Please have as few people on your enemies list as possible. Another goal is to allow anyone who wants to a chance to participate in the competition.

I think that is all you need to know to get started. I'll make announcements here at this forum as needed when issues arise. Now, without further ado, let's get the fun started. Here are competition games you can join as of this posting! If these slots are all filled up by the time you read this, don't despair. I will post 5-10 more games to join every 2-3 days.

This doesn't make sense. How can you start games without playing in them? Also, this is by no means the first nuclear tournament. Dukasaur has run an entire series (History of Nuclear War), and so have other players. If you want more info on high level nuclear play, I can let you know.

What would Wolverine do?He'd team up with a teenage girl and go kill bad guys.

[This doesn't make sense. How can you start games without playing in them? Also, this is by no means the first nuclear tournament. Dukasaur has run an entire series (History of Nuclear War), and so have other players. If you want more info on high level nuclear play, I can let you know.]

Okay, I am getting quite an education as I get this Competition going. Dukasaur was kind enough to write and enlighten me as well on the Nuclear tournaments that have been started here at Conquer Club (CC) and invite me to a few. I declined because I am interested in a different style of competing. Many of CC's tournaments are elimination style and have a fixed number of entrants. I am a tournament chess player, and from my perspective elimination style is a rather harsh way of doing things. Round Robin style tournaments can take forever. I have figured out a way around having registrations and fixed numbers of entrants before a competition can start. What I am offering is, to my mind, a superior way of competing, one not tied to rank or other prequalification factors either.

I was in error to originally call what I was setting up a tournament. By CC definition of what a tournament is, that is not what I have set up. I apologize for any confusion my having named what I was doing a tournament may have caused. To avoid any further nomenclature confusion, I will, going forward, call what I have set up a competition so that people will know it is very different than a normal CC tournament. I have also had my notice moved to the Callouts section of the CC forums to further separate what I am doing from normal CC tournament play.

As for your last question, how can I start games without playing in them; that is a bit tricky, but I have found a way. I can launch the game, and then as it fills up drop the game before the eighth player joins. The game will start without me then and still count as a tournament game. See the notes to the Iberia map below if you don't get what I mean yet. I will check the game I have dropped by its number periodically for the results. This idea of dropping games works only if the games don't fill faster than I can drop them (not a problem so far). If that becomes an issue, I have thought of a way around that involving inviting a person who I know is inactive. That way, the game can't fill before I get a chance to drop out and then soon after I drop, the inactive person's invite will fall off too. That slows things down at the start by about 24 hours though, so hopefully I won't have to resort to using that method.

I have great news. The first four of the series of 200 Winter 2013 Nuclear Competition games are under way. See below. Twenty maps at the time of this writing still have openings if you want in on this great competition!

IBERIA MAPUnder Way - Game 1 - 12293250: General Quigley, Tallishpaul, jsmus, xetyaR, 69Chevy, schwalve, oidacoel, and gordo guy [This game has begun and we are competing for gold (3 points), silver (2 points), and bronze (1 point).]Open - Game 16 - 12328646: GeorgeKombi, Guderian09 ... so far [This game is OPEN for more participants. Notice I am no longer in this game; however, it still qualifies as a Competition game.]

LEADERBOARDSo far, there are no results to post here, but as soon as the first map finishes someone will have 3 points, another person 2, another 1, and so on untill all 1,800 points from the 200 games are cumulatively allotted.

Last edited by General Quigley on Tue Feb 12, 2013 5:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.

General Quigley wrote:AUSTROHUNGARIAN EMPIRE MAPOpen - Game 24 - Game 12331055: General Quigley ... so far

Now people who want to see that game can just click on the link instead of having to manually enter the game number into Game Finder. Just make sure that ONLY the number goes inside the game tags. If you accidentally leave any spaces or punctuation, it won't work.

Hope you didn't think I was slamming your idea. I'm glad to see you trying to do something like this.

Thank you for that tip, Dukasaur. I will certainly use it. I did not think you were putting down this competition. In fact, I am glad to know you run so many nuclear tournaments. Maybe when I am less busy....

The games are all mostly off and running. Here are the current standings, including a list of which games are available.

IBERIA MAP1 is Under Way Game 12293250: General Quigley, Tallishpaul, jsmus, xetyaR, 69Chevy, schwalve, oidacoel, and gordo guy16 is Under Way Game 12328646: GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, GeneralFault, Tallishpaul, farinelli, ravely, Theta, and DominatED

JAPAN MAP2 is Under Way Game 12298061: General Quigley, aboynamedboobs, arouser, 69Chevy, Douglasdestroyer, niparo.p, aflynmonkey8, and Smider25 is Open Game 12353841: General Quigley ... so far

FIRST NATIONS AMERICAS MAP3 is Under Way Game 12302155: General Quigley, YipYipDog, Nite_Shadow, ML46, DominatED, Geppetto, Solkim, and RenegadeSoldier26 is Open Game 12353848: General Quigley ... so far

ML46 FIRST NATIONS NORTH AMERICA MAP4 is Open Game 12302157: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, Napoleon2012, sthiain, mtst224 ...so far

FIRST NATIONS SOUTH AMERICA MAP5 is Under Way Game 12302159: General Quigley, DominatED, YipYipDog, ML46, castletoth, Darth_Armadillo, phiniganus, and hammerm3

HIVE MAP6 is Under Way Game 12302164: General Quigley, THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, wreckermom, Worminabottle, A.D., YipYipDog, and tottenhamfc 17 is Open Game 12328647: General Quigley, THE_BLUEVIKING, Worminabottle ... so far

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MAP7 is Under Way Game 12307188: General Quigley, StinknLincoln, titocakes, YipYipDog, Mr. Magoo, ML46, spawando, and crazystef 15 is Open Game 12328645: StinknLincoln, crazystef, titocakes .... so far

PELOPONNESIAN WAR MAP8 is Under Way Game 12307191: General Quigley, richman688, Guderian09, castletoth, röde orm, pathfinde1, wombat4, and Solkim18 is Open Game 12328649: General Quigley, tommygun, crazystef ... so far

HALLOWEEN HOLLOWS MAP14 is Open Game 12322456: General Quigley, YipYipDog, gksozae ... so far

WWII WESTERN FRONT MAP19 is Open Game 12331027: General Quigley, ... so far

EUROPE 1914 MAP20 is Under Way Game 12331030: General Quigley, crazystef, Sweed dreams, Ragot25, Napoleon2012, Addypoo, wtfmejtz, and Flann

BALTIC CRUSADES MAP21 is Open Game 12331036: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef ... so far

BERLIN 1961 MAP22 is Open Game 12331041: General Quigley, 69Chevy, crazystef ... so far

TRENCH WARFARE MAP23 is Open Game 12331049: General Quigley, crazystef, pmhedt, ArkieDog ... so far

AUSTROHUNGARIAN EMPIRE MAP24 is Open Game 12331055: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

LEADERBOARDSo far, there are no results to post here, but as soon as the first map finishes someone will have 3 points, another person 2, another 1, and so on untill all 1,800 points from the 200 games are cumulatively allotted.

I looked for and could not find an exception to my statement above. By elimination, I mean maybe round 1 starts with something like 32 players. By round 2, eight are eliminated, and it's down to 24 players, etc. All of CC's tournaments appear to me to be run on that kind of elimination basis: winnowing numbers of participants as the rounds progress.

My format for this Competition does away with eliminating people, or even requiring registration. I believe the most skilled nuclear player of standard multi-player games here at Conquer Club will emerge the victor of this competition. At 200 games length, chances of a fluke win are minimized. I also think there is a very good chance the victor will be a person ranked sergeant or less. That's because I am pretty certain high-ranking players have not figured out effective strategies for these specific types of games. The strategy needed here is so different from the formulaic mode of play that is taught elsewhere at this site (for standard map and escalating spoils, for example) that I suspect high ranking players will be unable to cope.

Anyway, I am eager to see who emerges as Conquer Club's Standard Multiplayer Nuclear Champion a few months from now. Should be fun!

Hmmm, okay, I have edited the posts above to hopefully eliminate erroneous statements. Thank you for the education.

I notice Dukasaur runs a standard multiplayer nuclear tournament that has only a tinge of elimination to it. That looks so interesting that I actually signed up for it.

Now I am thinking maybe the top four scorers from the Winter 2013 Nuclear Competition here could form a team to take on Dukasaur's top four from his last completed nuke tournament for a team vs team clash of people who really understand nuclear strategy. That could be quite a game. It would be like making the Pro Bowl for the competitors!

Thank you, crazystef. Once the Competition is fully under way and we start seeing some scores on the Leaderboard I think things will heat up even more!

Happy Valentines Day, nuclear devastators! Here are the maps that are under way and available for joining as of Feb. 14, 2013.

IBERIA MAP1 is Under Way Game 12293250: General Quigley, Tallishpaul, jsmus, xetyaR, 69Chevy, schwalve, oidacoel, and gordo guy16 is Under Way Game 12328646: GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, GeneralFault, Tallishpaul, farinelli, ravely, Theta, and DominatED

JAPAN MAP2 is Under Way Game 12298061: General Quigley, aboynamedboobs, arouser, 69Chevy, Douglasdestroyer, niparo.p, aflynmonkey8, and Smider25 is Open Game 12353841: General Quigley, crazystef, Hastuneon ... so far

FIRST NATIONS AMERICAS MAP3 is Under Way Game 12302155: General Quigley, YipYipDog, Nite_Shadow, ML46, DominatED, Geppetto, Solkim, and RenegadeSoldier26 is Open Game 12353848: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

ML46 FIRST NATIONS NORTH AMERICA MAP4 is Under Way Game 12302157: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, Napoleon2012, sthiain, mtst224, RNGR79, and Ragnars Wolves 27 is Open Game 12362409: General Quigley ... so far

FIRST NATIONS SOUTH AMERICA MAP5 is Under Way Game 12302159: General Quigley, DominatED, YipYipDog, ML46, castletoth, Darth_Armadillo, phiniganus, and hammerm328 is Open Game 12362415: General Quigley ... so far

HIVE MAP6 is Under Way Game 12302164: General Quigley, THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, wreckermom, Worminabottle, A.D., YipYipDog, and tottenhamfc 17 is Open Game 12328647: THE_BLUEVIKING, Worminabottle, AlexEverard ... so far

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MAP7 is Under Way Game 12307188: General Quigley, StinknLincoln, titocakes, YipYipDog, Mr. Magoo, ML46, spawando, and crazystef 15 is Open Game 12328645: StinknLincoln, crazystef, titocakes, idusmars, .... so far

PELOPONNESIAN WAR MAP8 is Under Way Game 12307191: General Quigley, richman688, Guderian09, castletoth, röde orm, pathfinde1, wombat4, and Solkim18 is Open Game 12328649: tommygun, crazystef, AlexEverard ... so far

LONDON MAP9 is Under Way and I don't know if it's just the new London map, but this one seems particularly brutal. Lots of street fighting in this urban guerilla warfare game!Game 12308581: General Quigley, skadic, 69Chevy, GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, newmike, rexistop, and bunyan8229 is Open Game 12362444: General Quigley ... so far

NORTH AMERICA MAP10 is Under Way Game 12317211: General Quigley, skadic, 69Chevy, GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, newmike, rexistop, and bunyan8230 is Open Game 12362452: General Quigley ... so far

8 THOUGHTS MAP11 is Under Way Game 12317214: General Quigley, niparo.p, GeorgeKombi, crazystef, Ragot25, AlexEverard, maimerofmen, and fastdevil31 is Open Game 12362466: General Quigley ... so far

DOODLE EARTH MAP12 is Under Way. Eight players all crammed on this tiny board. Talk about insane!Game 12317220: General Quigley, crazystef, Spinal, Slaylark, AlexEverard, aflynmonkey8, pulaski, and idusmars32 is Open Game 12362480: General Quigley ... so far

CIRCUS MAXIMUS MAP13 is Open Game 12322455: General Quigley, 69Chevy, Sweed dreams, Dirty Dog, bmcubs87, and aboynamedboobs ... so far33 is Open Game 12362490: General Quigley ... so far

HALLOWEEN HOLLOWS MAP14 is Open Game 12322456: General Quigley, YipYipDog, gksozae ... so far34 is Open Game 12362496: General Quigley ... so far

EUROPE 1914 MAP20 is Under Way Game 12331030: General Quigley, crazystef, Sweed dreams, Ragot25, Napoleon2012, Addypoo, wtfmejtz, and Flann 35 is Open Game 12362517: General Quigley ... so far

BALTIC CRUSADES MAP21 is Open Game 12331036: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, idusmars ... so far

BERLIN 1961 MAP22 is Open Game 12331041: General Quigley, 69Chevy, crazystef, JLCC ... so far

TRENCH WARFARE MAP23 is Under Way Game 12331049: General Quigley, crazystef, pmhedt, ArkieDog, bmcubs87, jimviz, mathonwy, and iampretty36 is Open Game 12362527: General Quigley ... so far

AUSTROHUNGARIAN EMPIRE MAP24 is Open Game 12331055: General Quigley, AlexEverard, crazystef, idusmars ... so far

LEADERBOARDSo far, there are no results to post here, but as soon as the first map finishes someone will have 3 points, another person 2, another 1, and so on untill all 1,800 points from the 200 games are cumulatively allotted.

Greetings fellow Nuclear Devastators. We finally have someone to post to the leaderboard. Congratulations crazystef for winning the bronze on the Doodle Earth map! You have the honor of drawing first blood. Slaylark (a major) and Spinal (a cook) are still fiercely contesting the gold there. So, it's down to a one-on-one, like Rocky vs. Apollo all over again. They have five territories each. It's anyone's game!

LEADERBOARD1. crazystef - 1 point

Game 1 (on the Iberia Map) has gone 13 rounds now, and so far no one has been eliminated. For a nuclear game on such a small map, I can't believe it! Game 3 on the First Nations Americas map has similarly gone 19 rounds without anyone eliminated. There is some really good competition here folks! Game 7 on the American Civil War map is down to just 3 players: YipYipDog, ML46, and crazystef. They are competing for the color of their medal now.

IBERIA MAP1 is Under Way Game 12293250: General Quigley, Tallishpaul, jsmus, xetyaR, 69Chevy, schwalve, oidacoel, gordo guy16 is Under Way Game 12328646: GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, GeneralFault, Tallishpaul, farinelli, ravely, Theta, DominatED

JAPAN MAP2 is Under Way Game 12298061: General Quigley, aboynamedboobs, arouser, 69Chevy, Douglasdestroyer, niparo.p, aflynmonkey8, and Smider25 is Under Way Game 12353841: crazystef, Hastuneon, farinelli, Gunir, 11Joan11, AlexEverard, tnecniv3, and DominatED

FIRST NATIONS AMERICAS MAP3 is Under Way Game 12302155: General Quigley, YipYipDog, Nite_Shadow, ML46, DominatED, Geppetto, Solkim, and RenegadeSoldier26 is Open Game 12353848: General Quigley, crazystef, Gunir ... so far

ML46 FIRST NATIONS NORTH AMERICA MAP4 is Under Way Game 12302157: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, Napoleon2012, sthiain, mtst224, RNGR79, and Ragnars Wolves 27 is Open Game 12362409: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

FIRST NATIONS SOUTH AMERICA MAP5 is Under Way Game 12302159: General Quigley, DominatED, YipYipDog, ML46, castletoth, Darth_Armadillo, phiniganus, and hammerm328 is Open Game 12362415: General Quigley, steon2007, crazystef ... so far

HIVE MAP6 is Under Way Game 12302164: General Quigley, THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, wreckermom, Worminabottle, A.D., YipYipDog, and tottenhamfc 17 is Open Game 12328647: THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, Crazy Karl, Worminabottle ... so far

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MAP7 is Under Way Game 12307188: General Quigley, StinknLincoln, titocakes, YipYipDog, Mr. Magoo, ML46, spawando, and crazystef 15 is Under Way Game 12328645: StinknLincoln, crazystef, titocakes, idusmars, CJMONSTERNATOR, ML46, HBP, Stryder23

PELOPONNESIAN WAR MAP8 is Under Way Game 12307191: General Quigley, richman688, Guderian09, castletoth, röde orm, pathfinde1, wombat4, and Solkim18 is Under Way Game 12328649: tommygun, crazystef, AlexEverard, Crazy Karl, dpeterjohnson09, ibon43, bs08eofc, Roetroc

LONDON MAP9 is Under Way Game 12308581: General Quigley, skadic, 69Chevy, GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, newmike, rexistop, and bunyan8229 is Open Game 12362444: steon2007, crazystef, king blaze, AlexEverard, EsaNahka ... so far

NORTH AMERICA MAP10 is Under Way Game 12317211: General Quigley, skadic, 69Chevy, GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, newmike, rexistop, and bunyan8230 is Open Game 12362452: General Quigley, crazystef, and AlexEverard ... so far

8 THOUGHTS MAP11 is Under Way Game 12317214: General Quigley, niparo.p, GeorgeKombi, crazystef, Ragot25, AlexEverard, maimerofmen, and fastdevil31 is Open Game 12362466: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

DOODLE EARTH MAP12 is Under Way Game 12317220: General Quigley, crazystef, Spinal, Slaylark, AlexEverard, aflynmonkey8, pulaski, and idusmars32 is Open Game 12362480: crazystef, baggie-adam, AlexEverard ... so far

CIRCUS MAXIMUS MAP13 is Under Way Game 12322455: General Quigley, 69Chevy, Sweed dreams, Dirty Dog, bmcubs87, aboynamedboobs, CJMONSTERNATOR, crazystef33 is Open Game 12362490: General Quigley, crazystef, and aboynamedboobs ... so far

HALLOWEEN HOLLOWS MAP14 is Under Way Game 12322456: General Quigley, YipYipDog, gksozae, crazystef, Slakca, itmitche71, iampretty, JJMastermind 34 is Open Game 12362496: General Quigley, crazystef, and niparo.p ... so far

WWII EUROPE MAP19 is Open Game 12362508: General Quigley, tommyqwerty, crazystef, and AlexEverard ... so far37 is Open Game 12375762: General Quigley ... so far

EUROPE 1914 MAP20 is Under Way Game 12331030: General Quigley, crazystef, Sweed dreams, Ragot25, Napoleon2012, Addypoo, wtfmejtz, and Flann 35 is Open Game 12362517: General Quigley, steon2007, crazystef, AlexEverard, and DominatED ... so far

BALTIC CRUSADES MAP21 is Under Way Game 12331036: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, idusmars, Enochs BarmyArmy, Phil Gates, farinelli, mijamiso38 is Open Game 12375770: General Quigley ... so far

BERLIN 1961 MAP22 is Under Way Game 12331041: General Quigley, 69Chevy, crazystef, JLCC, farinelli, Gunir, bs08eofc, blankityblank39 is Open Game 12375776: General Quigley ... so far

TRENCH WARFARE MAP23 is Under Way Game 12331049: General Quigley, crazystef, pmhedt, ArkieDog, bmcubs87, jimviz, mathonwy, and iampretty36 is Open Game 12362527: General Quigley ... so far

AUSTROHUNGARIAN EMPIRE MAP24 is Under Way Game 12331055: General Quigley, AlexEverard, crazystef, idusmars, 69Chevy, BogdanNS, Spinal, withmejulie 40 is Open Game 12375782: General Quigley ... so far

Things are moving fast now! We have had three games concluded, so the Leaderboard gets some updates. Congratulations to Gold medal winners 69Chevy, slaylark, and ML46!

I have been giving an issue a lot of thought. The Leaderboard may not be an entirely fair, competetive way to measure success in our competition. What if one competitor plays in 190 of the 200 games being offered while another plays in 70 of the games? Let's say the person who played in 190 games accumulates 95 points, and the person who plays in 70 garners 70 points. Should the person who avaerages half a point per game he enters be considered the winner simply on the basis of having entered more of the games? Some might answer this "yes", others "no". I lean towards "no". I want to measure skill rather than persistence, quality over quantity. I therefore want to introduce another way of measuring who wins the Competition we are involved in.

I call this new measure the Skill Index. The Skill Index is a number that is derived from the raw number of points won in the competition divided by the number of games played, with some minimum number of games played in order to be listed. Thus, in our scenario above, player A's skill index number is 0.50 (190/95). Player B's is 1.00 (70/70). The minimum number of games played in order to be on the list will probably be set at 30 of the 200 games, maybe 40 (somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of the total number of games offered). Both the Leaderboard and the Skill Index will have importance, but I would like to consider the winner of the Competition to be the player with the highest skill index. I hope this refinement adds to the competetiveness and enjoyment of this competition.

IBERIA MAP1 is Under Way Game 12293250: General Quigley, Tallishpaul, jsmus, xetyaR, 69Chevy, schwalve, oidacoel, gordo guy16 is Under Way Game 12328646: GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, GeneralFault, Tallishpaul, farinelli, ravely, Theta, DominatED 41 is Open Game 12385286: General Quigley ... so far

JAPAN MAP2 is Concluded Game 12298061: 69Chevy - gold, General Quigley - silver, Smider - bronze 25 is Under Way Game 12353841: crazystef, Hastuneon, farinelli, Gunir, 11Joan11, AlexEverard, tnecniv3, DominatED 42 is Open Game 12385303: General Quigley ... so far

FIRST NATIONS AMERICAS MAP3 is Under Way Game 12302155: General Quigley, YipYipDog, Nite_Shadow, ML46, DominatED, Geppetto, Solkim, RenegadeSoldier26 is Open Game 12353848: crazystef, Gunir, aboynamedboobs, 69Chevy, ungart ... so far

ML46 FIRST NATIONS NORTH AMERICA MAP4 is Under Way Game 12302157: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, Napoleon2012, sthiain, mtst224, RNGR79, Ragnars Wolves 27 is Open Game 12362409: crazystef, 69Chevy, Sweed dreams ... so far

FIRST NATIONS SOUTH AMERICA MAP5 is Under Way Game 12302159: General Quigley, DominatED, YipYipDog, ML46, castletoth, Darth_Armadillo, phiniganus, hammerm328 is Open Game 12362415: General Quigley, steon2007, crazystef ... so far

HIVE MAP6 is Under Way Game 12302164: General Quigley, THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, wreckermom, Worminabottle, A.D., YipYipDog, tottenhamfc 17 is Open Game 12328647: THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, Crazy Karl, Worminabottle ... so far

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MAP7 is Concluded Game 12307188: ML46 - gold, crazystef - silver, YipYipDog - bronze15 is Under Way Game 12328645: StinknLincoln, crazystef, titocakes, idusmars, CJMONSTERNATOR, ML46, HBP, Stryder23 43 is Open Game 12385339: General Quigley ... so far

PELOPONNESIAN WAR MAP8 is Under Way Game 12307191: General Quigley, richman688, Guderian09, castletoth, röde orm, pathfinde1, wombat4, Solkim18 is Under Way Game 12328649: tommygun, crazystef, AlexEverard, Crazy Karl, dpeterjohnson09, ibon43, bs08eofc, Roetroc44 is Open Game 12385352: General Quigley ... so far

LONDON MAP9 is Under Way Game 12308581: General Quigley, skadic, 69Chevy, GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, newmike, rexistop, bunyan8229 is Under Way Game 12362444: steon2007, crazystef, king blaze, AlexEverard, EsaNahka, aboynamedboobs, fibolord, Ahbaseballer24 45 is Open Game 12385365: General Quigley ... so far

NORTH AMERICA MAP10 is Under Way Game 12317211: General Quigley, dmix12, crazystef, aboynamedboobs, ThEnemy, wtfmejtz, santyago, newmike 30 is Open Game 12362452: crazystef, AlexEverard ... so far

8 THOUGHTS MAP11 is Under Way Game 12317214: General Quigley, niparo.p, GeorgeKombi, crazystef, Ragot25, AlexEverard, maimerofmen, fastdevil31 is Open Game 12362466: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

CIRCUS MAXIMUS MAP13 is Under Way Game 12322455: General Quigley, 69Chevy, Sweed dreams, Dirty Dog, bmcubs87, aboynamedboobs, CJMONSTERNATOR, crazystef33 is Open Game 12362490: crazystef, aboynamedboobs, PANZERS ... so far

HALLOWEEN HOLLOWS MAP14 is Under Way Game 12322456: General Quigley, YipYipDog, gksozae, crazystef, Slakca, itmitche71, iampretty, JJMastermind 34 is Open Game 12362496: crazystef, niparo.p, PANZERS ... so far

WWII EUROPE MAP19 is Open Game 12362508: General Quigley, tommyqwerty, crazystef, AlexEverard, kosh26 ... so far37 is Open Game 12375762: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

EUROPE 1914 MAP20 is Under Way Game 12331030: General Quigley, crazystef, Sweed dreams, Ragot25, Napoleon2012, Addypoo, wtfmejtz, Flann 35 is Under Way Game 12362517: General Quigley, steon2007, crazystef, AlexEverard, DominatED, PANZERS, JJMastermind, ehaleva 46 is Open Game 12385394: General Quigley ... so far

BALTIC CRUSADES MAP21 is Under Way Game 12331036: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, idusmars, Enochs BarmyArmy, Phil Gates, farinelli, mijamiso38 is Open Game 12375770: Enochs BarmyArmy, crazystef, 69Chevy ... so far

BERLIN 1961 MAP22 is Under Way Game 12331041: General Quigley, 69Chevy, crazystef, JLCC, farinelli, Gunir, bs08eofc, blankityblank39 is Open Game 12375776: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

TRENCH WARFARE MAP23 is Under Way Game 12331049: General Quigley, crazystef, pmhedt, ArkieDog, bmcubs87, jimviz, mathonwy, iampretty36 is Open Game 12362527: General Quigley, crazystef, AlexEvarard ... so far

AUSTROHUNGARIAN EMPIRE MAP24 is Under Way Game 12331055: General Quigley, AlexEverard, crazystef, idusmars, 69Chevy, BogdanNS, Spinal, withmejulie 40 is Open Game 12375782: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

It's my pleasure, CrazyStef. Directing the Competition looks like more work than it is. I just update, or add to, my last post. I don't have to create them anew from scratch. Do not worry about being a cook so much. Anyone who takes you lightly because you are a cook will deserve the beating they receive. I have noticed a few higher ranked players are participating in the Competition, particularly in the Doodle Earth games, which surprises me. Because that map has the fewest territories, to my mind playing there most resembles buying a lottery ticket. Nevertheless, most high ranked players are not participating in the Competition that much. I figured that would be the case. These Competition games are competetive and well-played. Highly ranked players understand the great likeliness that they would lose ranking points here. This Competition is therefore for the brave and the skilled, those who are willing to let their ranking be as it may, and thus reflect their true skill level, rather than how well a rating may be nursed. [Image of a major suckling a rating. ]

One more game has concluded since my last post, a London Game won by yours truly. I consolidated the lower right corner of that map and then expanded out from there. The Leaderboard and Skill Index rankings are updated. Again, I consider the Skill Index to be the most important standing. It will determine the winner of this Competition. The more games played and thus tabulated, the more meaningfull the skill index standing. When I calculate in the eighth game concluded - so far there has only been four finished - all those with just 1 game played drop off the skill index for being below the minimum.

IBERIA MAP1 is Under Way Game 12293250: General Quigley, Tallishpaul, jsmus, xetyaR, 69Chevy, schwalve, oidacoel, gordo guy16 is Under Way Game 12328646: GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, GeneralFault, Tallishpaul, farinelli, ravely, Theta, DominatED 41 is Open Game 12385286: General Quigley, crazystef,newmike, maimerofmen ... so far

JAPAN MAP25 is Under Way Game 12353841: crazystef, Hastuneon, farinelli, Gunir, 11Joan11, AlexEverard, tnecniv3, DominatED 42 is Open Game 12385303: General Quigley, crazystef, 69Chevy, maimerofmen ... so far

FIRST NATIONS AMERICAS MAP3 is Under Way Game 12302155: General Quigley, YipYipDog, Nite_Shadow, ML46, DominatED, Geppetto, Solkim, RenegadeSoldier26 is Under Way Game 12353848: crazystef, Gunir, aboynamedboobs, 69Chevy, ungart, newmike, Flann, CJMONSTERNATOR

FIRST NATIONS NORTH AMERICA MAP4 is Under Way Game 12302157: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, Napoleon2012, sthiain, mtst224, RNGR79, Ragnars Wolves 27 is Under Way Game 12362409: crazystef, 69Chevy, Sweed dreams, maimerofmen, arouser, boyer, jtburton, Tactical101

FIRST NATIONS SOUTH AMERICA MAP5 is Under Way Game 12302159: General Quigley, DominatED, YipYipDog, ML46, castletoth, Darth_Armadillo, phiniganus, hammerm328 is Under Way Game 12362415: General Quigley, steon2007, crazystef, maimerofmen, mrgrateful, chicojah, Chemometrician, Smicrich

HIVE MAP6 is Under Way Game 12302164: General Quigley, THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, wreckermom, Worminabottle, A.D., YipYipDog, tottenhamfc 17 is Under Way Game 12328647: THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, Crazy Karl, Worminabottle, TerryRF600, Balphagor, Badercovich, yesiamannoying 48 is Open Game 12394675: General Quigley ... so far

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MAP15 is Under Way Game 12328645: StinknLincoln, crazystef, titocakes, idusmars, CJMONSTERNATOR, ML46, HBP, Stryder23 43 is Under Way Game 12385339: General Quigley, crazystef, titocakes, gdawgbhs, spawando, maimerofmen, boyer, peteszcz

PELOPONNESIAN WAR MAP8 is Under Way Game 12307191: General Quigley, richman688, Guderian09, castletoth, röde orm, pathfinde1, wombat4, Solkim18 is Under Way Game 12328649: tommygun, crazystef, AlexEverard, Crazy Karl, dpeterjohnson09, ibon43, bs08eofc, Roetroc44 is Open Game 12385352: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

LONDON MAP9 is Concluded Game 12308581: General Quigley - gold, GeorgeKombi - silver, bunyan82 - bronze29 is Under Way Game 12362444: steon2007, crazystef, king blaze, AlexEverard, EsaNahka, aboynamedboobs, fibolord, Ahbaseballer24 45 is Open Game 12385365: General Quigley, crazystef, maimerofmen ... so far

NORTH AMERICA MAP10 is Under Way Game 12317211: General Quigley, dmix12, crazystef, aboynamedboobs, ThEnemy, wtfmejtz, santyago, newmike 30 is Open Game 12362452: crazystef, AlexEverard, maimerofmen, Freaky1, Gunir ... so far

8 THOUGHTS MAP11 is Under Way Game 12317214: General Quigley, niparo.p, GeorgeKombi, crazystef, Ragot25, AlexEverard, maimerofmen, fastdevil31 is Open Game 12362466: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

DOODLE EARTH MAP32 is Under Way Game 12362480: crazystef, baggie-adam, AlexEverard, maimerofmen, MarktheMenace, generalmighty, mjc7890, mikeymike5547 is Open Game 12394661: General Quigley ... so far

CIRCUS MAXIMUS MAP13 is Under Way Game 12322455: General Quigley, 69Chevy, Sweed dreams, Dirty Dog, bmcubs87, aboynamedboobs, CJMONSTERNATOR, crazystef33 is Open Game 12362490: crazystef, aboynamedboobs, PANZERS, maimerofmen,XYZ1234 ... so far

HALLOWEEN HOLLOWS MAP14 is Under Way Game 12322456: General Quigley, YipYipDog, gksozae, crazystef, Slakca, itmitche71, iampretty, JJMastermind 34 is Open Game 12362496: crazystef, niparo.p, PANZERS ... so far

WWII EUROPE MAP19 is Open Game 12362508: General Quigley, tommyqwerty, crazystef, AlexEverard, kosh26 ... so far37 is Open Game 12375762: General Quigley, crazystef, gunir ... so far

EUROPE 1914 MAP20 is Under Way Game 12331030: General Quigley, crazystef, Sweed dreams, Ragot25, Napoleon2012, Addypoo, wtfmejtz, Flann 35 is Under Way Game 12362517: General Quigley, steon2007, crazystef, AlexEverard, DominatED, PANZERS, JJMastermind, ehaleva 46 is Open Game 12385394: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

BALTIC CRUSADES MAP21 is Under Way Game 12331036: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, idusmars, Enochs BarmyArmy, Phil Gates, farinelli, mijamiso38 is Open Game 12375770: Enochs BarmyArmy, crazystef, 69Chevy ... so far

BERLIN 1961 MAP22 is Under Way Game 12331041: General Quigley, 69Chevy, crazystef, JLCC, farinelli, Gunir, bs08eofc, blankityblank39 is Open Game 12375776: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

TRENCH WARFARE MAP23 is Under Way Game 12331049: General Quigley, crazystef, pmhedt, ArkieDog, bmcubs87, jimviz, mathonwy, iampretty36 is Open Game 12362527: General Quigley, crazystef, AlexEvarard ... so far

AUSTROHUNGARIAN EMPIRE MAP24 is Under Way Game 12331055: General Quigley, AlexEverard, crazystef, idusmars, 69Chevy, BogdanNS, Spinal, withmejulie 40 is Open Game 12375782: General Quigley, crazystef,maimerofmen ... so far

We have had four more games conclude since the last time I posted. Considering that we had only four total before then, as you can imagine we have had some big changes in who is leading the Competition. Not counting those players who have had only one game concluded, the leader of the Competition so far is Spinal. He is averaging a silver medal every time he plays a Competition game. That is outstanding! If you leave a note of congratulations on his wall, that would really be cool.

IBERIA MAP1 is Under Way Game 12293250: General Quigley, Tallishpaul, jsmus, xetyaR, 69Chevy, schwalve, oidacoel, gordo guy16 is Under Way Game 12328646: GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, GeneralFault, Tallishpaul, farinelli, ravely, Theta, DominatED 41 is Open Game 12385286: General Quigley, crazystef, maimerofmen ... so far

JAPAN MAP25 is Under Way Game 12353841: crazystef, Hastuneon, farinelli, Gunir, 11Joan11, AlexEverard, tnecniv3, DominatED 42 is Open Game 12385303: crazystef, 69Chevy, maimerofmen, General Quigley ... so far

FIRST NATIONS AMERICAS MAP3 is Concluded Game 12302155: DominatED - gold, ML46 - silver, General Quigley - bronze26 is Under Way Game 12353848: crazystef, Gunir, aboynamedboobs, 69Chevy, ungart, newmike, Flann, CJMONSTERNATOR 50 is Open Game 12411772: General Quigley ... so far

FIRST NATIONS NORTH AMERICA MAP4 is Under Way Game 12302157: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, Napoleon2012, sthiain, mtst224, RNGR79, Ragnars Wolves 49 is Open Game 12402133: General Quigley, aboynamedboobs ... so far51 is Open Game 12411778: General Quigley ... so far

FIRST NATIONS SOUTH AMERICA MAP5 is Under Way Game 12302159: General Quigley, DominatED, YipYipDog, ML46, castletoth, Darth_Armadillo, phiniganus, hammerm328 is Under Way Game 12362415: General Quigley, steon2007, crazystef, maimerofmen, mrgrateful, chicojah, Chemometrician, Smicrich 52 is Open Game 12411785: General Quigley ... so far

HIVE MAP6 is Under Way Game 12302164: General Quigley, THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, wreckermom, Worminabottle, A.D., YipYipDog, tottenhamfc 17 is Under Way Game 12328647: THE_BLUEVIKING, AlexEverard, Crazy Karl, Worminabottle, TerryRF600, Balphagor, Badercovich, yesiamannoying 48 is Open Game 12394675: General Quigley ... so far

PELOPONNESIAN WAR MAP8 is Under Way Game 12307191: General Quigley, richman688, Guderian09, castletoth, röde orm, pathfinde1, wombat4, Solkim18 is Under Way Game 12328649: tommygun, crazystef, AlexEverard, Crazy Karl, dpeterjohnson09, ibon43, bs08eofc, Roetroc44 is Open Game 12385352: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far

LONDON MAP29 is Under Way Game 12362444: steon2007, crazystef, king blaze, AlexEverard, EsaNahka, aboynamedboobs, fibolord, Ahbaseballer24 45 is Open Game 12385365: General Quigley, crazystef, maimerofmen, aboynamedboobs ... so far

NORTH AMERICA MAP10 is Under Way Game 12317211: General Quigley, dmix12, crazystef, aboynamedboobs, ThEnemy, wtfmejtz, santyago, newmike 27 is Under Way Game 12362409: crazystef, 69Chevy, Sweed dreams, maimerofmen, arouser, boyer, jtburton, Tactical101 30 is Under Way Game 12362452: crazystef, AlexEverard, maimerofmen, Freaky1, Gunir, bigdaddy40, totallyowned, Riverside111

8 THOUGHTS MAP11 is Under Way Game 12317214: General Quigley, niparo.p, GeorgeKombi, crazystef, Ragot25, AlexEverard, maimerofmen, fastdevil31 is Open Game 12362466: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far53 is Open Game 12411792: General Quigley ... so far

CIRCUS MAXIMUS MAP13 is Under Way Game 12322455: General Quigley, 69Chevy, Sweed dreams, Dirty Dog, bmcubs87, aboynamedboobs, CJMONSTERNATOR, crazystef33 is Under Way Game 12362490: crazystef, aboynamedboobs, PANZERS, maimerofmen, XYZ1234, kfisher2, kennyingram, GoatSlayer 54 is Open Game 12411794: General Quigley ... so far

HALLOWEEN HOLLOWS MAP14 is Under Way Game 12322456: General Quigley, YipYipDog, gksozae, crazystef, Slakca, itmitche71, iampretty, JJMastermind 34 is Open Game 12362496: crazystef, niparo.p, PANZERS ... so far55 is Open Game 12411797: General Quigley ... so far

WWII EUROPE MAP19 is Under Way Game 12362508: General Quigley, tommyqwerty, crazystef, AlexEverard, kosh26, u0rns, Birdman13, maimerofmen 37 is Open Game 12375762: crazystef, gunir, Tallishpaul, shabawazawhodo ... so far56 is Open Game 12411803: General Quigley ... so far

EUROPE 1914 MAP20 is Under Way Game 12331030: General Quigley, crazystef, Sweed dreams, Ragot25, Napoleon2012, Addypoo, wtfmejtz, Flann 35 is Under Way Game 12362517: General Quigley, steon2007, crazystef, AlexEverard, DominatED, PANZERS, JJMastermind, ehaleva 46 is Open Game 12385394: crazystef, Marshallbobby ... so far

BALTIC CRUSADES MAP21 is Under Way Game 12331036: General Quigley, DominatED, crazystef, idusmars, Enochs BarmyArmy, Phil Gates, farinelli, mijamiso38 is Open Game 12375770: Enochs BarmyArmy, crazystef, 69Chevy, DominatED ... so far57 is Open Game 12411807: General Quigley ... so far

BERLIN 1961 MAP22 is Under Way Game 12331041: General Quigley, 69Chevy, crazystef, JLCC, farinelli, Gunir, bs08eofc, blankityblank39 is Open Game 12375776: General Quigley, crazystef ... so far58 is Open Game 12411810: General Quigley ... so far

TRENCH WARFARE MAP23 is Under Way Game 12331049: General Quigley, crazystef, pmhedt, ArkieDog, bmcubs87, jimviz, mathonwy, iampretty36 is Open Game 12362527: crazystef, AlexEvarard, Worminabottle ... so far59 is Open Game 12411819: General Quigley ... so far

AUSTROHUNGARIAN EMPIRE MAP24 is Concluded Game 12331055: crazystef - gold, Spinal - silver, AlexEverard - bronze 40 is Under Way Game 12375782: General Quigley, crazystef,maimerofmen, 69Chevy, Marshallbobby, wombat4, shabawazawhodo, fetzzz 60 is Open Game 12411821: General Quigley ... so far

In the last week we have had a record number fourteen games conclude. Before this week we had just twenty finished. So that brings the total up to 34 games concluded and now rated!

To make the list this time, you must have personally played in at least 5 games (15% of the completed games minimum) of the 34 completed. Only nine players have played in five or more of the 34 games so far concluded. Congratulations to AlexEverard who has really come on strong with the win of a couple gold medals recently. He moves into first by what looks like a difficult margin to make up. At 1.25 points as an average per game, that means AlexEverard expects better than third place each time he enters the game. That is an achievement!

I have opened nine new Competition games you can join just now to bring the total number of open available games to 10. Good luck!

IBERIA MAP16 is Under Way Game 12328646: GeorgeKombi, Guderian09, GeneralFault, Tallishpaul, farinelli, ravely, Theta, DominatED 41 is Under Way Game 12385286: General Quigley, crazystef, maimerofmen, shabawazawhodo, DominatED, Darth_Armadillo, ravely, fibolord

JAPAN MAP25 is Concluded Game 12353841: 11Joan11 - gold, tnecniv3 - silver, crazystef - bronze 42 is Under Way Game 12385303: crazystef, 69Chevy, maimerofmen, General Quigley, Darth_Armadillo, ML46, EoinH, Ahbaseballer24 61 is Open Game 12478116: General Quigley ... so far

FIRST NATIONS AMERICAS MAP26 is Under Way Game 12353848: crazystef, Gunir, aboynamedboobs, 69Chevy, ungart, newmike, Flann, CJMONSTERNATOR 50 is Under Way Game 12411772: General Quigley, kennuy07, AlexEverard, Pecka, arminius75, 11Joan11, Flann, gemini1512

FIRST NATIONS NORTH AMERICA MAP49 is Under Way Game 12402133: General Quigley, aboynamedboobs, DominatED, tnecniv3, Boondizzle_Buick, Nswift04, idusmars, Bilbo1_OC 51 is Under Way Game 12411778: General Quigley, kennuy07, farinelli, Boondizzle_Buick, idusmars, 11Joan11, Flann, newmike

FIRST NATIONS SOUTH AMERICA MAP28 is Under Way Game 12362415: General Quigley, steon2007, crazystef, maimerofmen, mrgrateful, chicojah, Chemometrician, Smicrich 52 is Under Way Game 12411785: General Quigley, kennuy07, AlexEverard, Darth_Armadillo, Funkaholic, Wolfboy137, geobarto, Stephen the III

Thanks, 11Joan11, and welcome to the Competition. Well done on your recent achievement of a gold medal on your first Competition try out! Unlike Tournaments, it is the participants themselves who enroll themselves in Competition games. Just check the latest announcement from me and join Open games. As soon as you complete 15% of all tournament games held, and there's plenty of time still to do that, you will find yourself ranked with the other regular Competition players.

By the way, I just made an error. I edited my last announcement, thereby wiping it out and replacing it with a current one. I did not mean to wipe out my previous announcement. The last announcement then (located just before Joan's post) is now the current one. I will be more careful in the future.